I'm right here!
by Fox Moonshadow
Summary: Everyone is ignoring Naruto after a grand battle. Why? Read to find out. Not a ;I hate you so you're not here to me' story.


Naruto looked around at the batlefield. Sevral leaf-nin had been killed, many sound-nin lay dead as well. "This was unexpected." A voice said behind him. Jumping around he saw Kabuto looking right at him. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Why wouldn'd I fight?" Naruto growled, hand on a kunai.

"Don't waist your time Naruto, weapons won't hurt someone who's already dead." Kabuto said before vanishing into thin air. Naruto gulped and looked around again, seeing some leaf-nin walking around and counting the dead leaf-nin. Looking again he spotted Sasuke limping back to the village, leaning on Kakashi to keep from falling. Naruto ran after them, but they ignored him. Everyone ignored him.

"Well, at least they're not blaiming me." Naruto said to himself, walking back into the village. Everyone still ignored him. "What's going on?" He slowly walked to Iruka's house, slamming the door behind him. Iruka wasn't home so he just sat down to wait for him. It wasn't long before he heared the door open and close, Iruka walking in and fixxing himself a drink. "Hey, Master Iruka, who won the fight? I was knocked out." Naruto asked looking at Iruka. The chuunin didn't reply, or even look at him. He just sat down and sipped hit tea calmly. Someone walked in a few minutes later, Kakashi walking up to Iruka and putting his head on the chuunin's shoulder.

"I looked over the entire battle field, there's no sighn of him." Kakash said, Iruka nodded and leand against Kakashi's shoulder. "He probably just got hurt and wondered off in a daze. I bet he's on his way home now."

"Kakashi, they found his jacket soaked in blood. He's dead." Iruka said finishing his tea. Kakashi sighed and held Iruka close, trying to confort the destrest one.

"We can still hope. There wasn't a body." Kakashi said, Iruka nodded before dozing off. Naruto was just confused. After Iruka was in a deep sleep Kakashi laied him on the couch and covered him up. "Naruto, let's go back to my house. He neads rest."

"Okey." Naruto said and followed Kakashi to a small appartment. "Who's dead?"

"A better question would be who isn't. We lost a lot of ninja in that battle, but we won in the end when Jiraiya caught Orochimaru off guard. They retreted after that." Kakashi replied looking at Naruto almost sympatheticly. "Naruto, what are you doing still in the village?"

"What do meen, why wouldn't I be here?" Naruto asked, Kakashi sighed and sat down in the floor, his back to the wall oppiset the door. He pat the space next to him, signaling Naruto to sit down. Naruto did.

"Naruto, after the battle I helped count the bodies and see who we'd lost. I found this." Kakashi said pulling out an orange piece of cloth. It turned out to be Naruto's jacket.

"I wondered where that had gone." Naruto said smiling, there were red blotches on the jacket but Naruto didn't mind.

"Naruto . . ., I found somthing else as well. I found you." Kakashi said pulling the boy slowly into his lap and hugging him. "Haven't you notaiced that no one seemed to even see you?"

"Yea, it's ticking me off too." Naruto said looking angrry.

"Naruto, they can't see you. You're a ghost." Kakashi said hugging Naruto tighter.

"What, that's impposable. You can see me." Naruto said shacking his head wildly.

"Naruto, I've always been able to see ghosts. It's just another ability I never told anyone abought." Kakashi said sadly. "You're dead." Naruto just shook his head slowly and pulled out of Kakashi's grip, running out through an open window and escaping to the forest.

"I'm not dead. I can't be dead." Naruto mummbled to himself. "Kyubi wouldn't let me die." But as he said this he walked right through a tree. That was all he neaded to prove that he was a ghost. He fell down there and then, crying with his face hiden in his knees.

"Naruto what's wrong?" A furmillar voice asked. Looking up Naruto saw Sarutobi standing above him.

"I'm not ready to die yet." Naruto said. Sarutobi nodded in understanding and sat down with Naruto.

"No one's ever ready when they die. The problum is, everyone dies sooner or later." Sarutobi said putting his hands around the younger. "Naruto, you can't stay here any longer. Come on, there's someone waiting for you in the next world." Naruto stood up and followed Sarutobi, both floating until they vanished from sight. As soon as Naruto made it to the next world and man walked over to him. He looked just like Naruto, but older.

"Dad?" Naruto asked, the man nodded and Naruto ran into his arms, crying again.

"Shhh, it'll be okey now Naruto. It'll be okey." The fouth said hugging his son happily. Naruto nodded and whiped his eyes, satisfied to be with his father at last.

The End


End file.
